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August 2020

Farmers Market Stakeholders Association Meeting Minutes

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Meeting Information

Date

August 11, 2020

Location

Virtual Meeting

Time

6:00 PM

Directors In Attendance

  • Lawrence Sweeney
  • Ivy Sweeney
  • Mark Ruibal

Others In Attendance

  • Martin Cramer/DDI, Daniel Nevarez/DPD, Travis Bonick, Lisa Ferri/DFM, Lauren Davis/DDI, Johnny Garcia/City of Dallas Code, Dr. David Woody/The Bridge, Albert Sanchez/DDI, Rico Roberts, Willard’s ipad, Savannah Nordstrom/DFM, Rob Robinson

Minutes

  1. Crime Stats – Officer Daniel Nevarez
    1. Daniel went over the recent stats, overall crime is down – burglaries of motor vehicles are down 90%, robberies are up 4%, stolen vehicles are down 15%
    2. There are crime issues around Main Street Garden
    3. The organized car spin-outs are a dangerous problem, Daniel advised calling 911, we have an officer designated for that issue
  2. Code Compliance – Johnny Garcia, City of Dallas Code Dept.
    1. Due to the Covid19 they’re working 50/50 Covid-related and other general Code cases, like vagrants, litter & such being brought in by homeless – Johnny asked us to bring that to their attention – the Clean Team has been doing clean ups around the downtown area and they’re working hand-in-hand with DPD and the Office of Homeless Solutions
    2. Re: removing homeless from private property – they have to give notice to remove them from someone’s property; Johnny asked us to let them know anything they can do to help
    3. Signage has been put in place re: Covid regulations amendments, we’re on amendment #8 now (it has been a learning process), masks are encouraged but not mandatory
    4. the most common concerns in the Farmers Market area are graffiti and homeless
  3. Guest Speaker – Lisa Ferri, Dallas Farmers Market
    1. Re: the new co-working concept coming to the Taylor Lofts building – Industrious has taken 23,000 sq. ft., construction is starting in the fall, finish should be February-March 2021, Lisa will email the information on Industrious
    2. Oct. 1, 2020 Herdie Gerdie is opening in the old MudHen space
    3. 8 Cloves is taking over Stocks & Bondy’s space, and Lili is taking the 8 Cloves space
    4. Harvest Lofts has a new retail store coming in The merchants are doing okay, following protocols, only a few tables and chairs are currently allowed due to Covid19
  4. 2nd Guest Speaker – Savannah Nordstrom, The Shed at the DFM
    1. They are taking Covid precautions such as the entry station offering disposable masks, hand washing stations, vendors are spaced 10 ft. apart, etc.
    2. No on-site prepared food is allowed, only off-site kitchen prepared foods are currently allowed, and food sampling is limited to closed-container samples
  5. Homeless Situation – Dr. David Woody, The Bridge
    1. Re: the influx of homeless people – per Covid restrictions, their campuses had to decrease numbers of people (formerly 800-900 were in the day shelter, now sleeping 300-325, a 20% decrease for night); the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center opened a day shelter, so far there’s no Covid-positive people, hand sanitizer stations were added; the Convention Center will close in October and move the homeless to the Wyndham Hotel off I35
  6. Homeless Situation – Lauren Davis, Downtown Dallas Inc.
    1. Re: engaging the homeless – they are doing outreach to relate and refer, could be 1 day or 1 month, to understand what they need to move off of the street (rehab programs, strong referrals, IDs, job placement, warm handoffs to get them off the street)
    2. Last month they had 400 – 300 referrals were made from that – 89 of those service was received
  7. Homeless Situation – Albert Sanchez, Downtown Dallas Inc.
    1. Re: the homeless outreach resources being given to the homeless from the DDI team – fellowship program starting Friday, Leon from The Bridge is part of the team wearing purple t-shirts
  8. Upcoming Events/Misc. –
    1. Dr. Woody announced the North Texas Giving Day on September 17 – donate to your non-profit of choice (The Bridge, The Stewpot, etc.)
    2. Rob Robinson thanked DDI for the installation of the flashing light crossing at the Pearl/Marilla intersection, but drivers don’t adhere; he requested we explore putting up Pedestrian-Crossing signs in the middle of the street, should cost approx. $300/sign
  9. Everyone appreciated and agreed the Zoom meeting was a good meeting format
  10. Meeting adjourned at 6:40 pm